Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-component gas analysis system and a multi-component gas analysis method.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-105631, filed on May 25, 2015, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Description of Related Art
All patents, patent applications, patent publications, scientific articles, and the like, which will hereinafter be cited or identified in the present application, will hereby be incorporated by reference in their entirety in order to describe more fully the state of the art to which the present invention pertains.
In general, concentration of a specific component contained in a multi-component gas is measured using a gas chromatography. The gas chromatography includes a tubular route called a column and a gas concentration detector provided at the end of the column. The multi-component gas is transmitted thorough the column. Each of the components in the multi-component gas travels through the column at a different speed and is distinguishable (separated) thereby. The concentration of each component contained in the multi-component gas is determined by measuring the amount of each separated component with the gas concentration detector.
In addition, the concentration of the specific component contained in the multi-component gas may also be measured using a spectrometric analysis device. The spectrometric analysis device includes light source that emits light of a specific wavelength (e.g., infrared light), and a photodetector for receiving the light from the light source. In the spectrometric analysis device, the light emitted from the light source is irradiated to the multi-component gas. The light transmitted through the multi-component gas is received by the photodetector and the absorption spectrum (the spectrum of absorbance for light at each wavelength) of the received light is determined. Thereby, the concentration of each component contained in the multi-component gas is measured.
The following patent documents disclose a conventional technology that can analyze (measure) a plurality of components contained in the multi-component gas. Specifically, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2000-346801 discloses a multi-component gas analysis method using a FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectrometric analysis meter. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-099781 discloses a gas analysis method using infrared absorption spectrophotometry. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2013-174558 discloses a multi-component gas measurement system using a FT-IR device and an SPI-MS (Single Photon Ionization Mass Spectrometry) device.
The gas chromatograph described above can perform a measurement of concentrations for a plurality of components contained in the multi-component gas with sufficient accuracy, but it takes a long time such as about several minutes to perform the measurement. Therefore, the gas chromatograph is not suitable for the use that needs to analyze continuously the component contained in the multi-component gas (for example, a management use of a process that needs to perform an adjustment of heat quantity and an observation of components contained in a combustion gas).
On the other hand, the spectrometric analysis device described above can perform a measurement in a short time such as about several seconds. Therefore, the spectrometric analysis device can be used also for a use that needs to analyze continuously the component contained in the multi-component gas. However, the spectrometric analysis device measures the concentration of the component contained in the multi-component gas based on the absorbance of light. Therefore, the kind of components that can be measured is limited. For example, the spectrometric analysis device can measure a component that absorbs infrared light (for example, methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), or the like), while it is difficult for the spectrometric analysis device to measure a component that does not absorb infrared light (for example, diatomic molecules, such as hydrogen (H2), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), or the like).
In addition, even in a case in which the above-described component that does not absorb infrared light is contained in the multi-component gas, it is possible to measure the ratio of the component (component ratio) using the spectrometric analysis device as long as the number of the components is one. Specifically, by measuring respectively the component ratio of each component that absorbs infrared light using the spectrometric analysis device and by deducting total of these component ratios from the whole, it is possible to obtain the component ratio of the component that does not absorb infrared light. However, when a plurality of components that do not absorb infrared light are contained in the multi-component gas, it is impossible to obtain the component ratio of each of these components.